Portable Pokémon park prepped

Nintendo to relaunch theme park based on pocket monsters in Taiwan; traveling amusements may reach Europe, US.

Pokémon's new slogan may be "Gotta ride them all." The popular game franchise well known for creating a frenzy among children and spawning an anime series, trading cards, and a spoof on South Park, found another medium to infiltrate last year when Nintendo unveiled a Pokémon-themed amusement park to coincide with the World Expo held in Nagoya, Japan. The temporary amusement destination attracted 4.5 million visitors during its six-month existence.

Now it appears as though Pikachu and others will be returning in the form of spinning rides, Ferris wheels, and other carnival-like contraptions. Nintendo is bringing back the Pokémon Park starting this June in Taiwan, according to the AFP news agency.

The park will take residence in various sites for three-month stints, with a goal of drawing 1 million visitors at each stop. Other locations said to be possible destinations include the US, Europe, and Shanghai.

50 Comments

  • Bengameaholic

    Posted Feb 26, 2006 2:36 am PT

    They've pushed it by doing this. I cannot imagine millions going to this park.

  • mariokart64fan

    Posted Feb 25, 2006 6:14 pm PT

    nintendo rocks and revolution is coming mark your calendar this is good news the money would help nintendo out and they could be rich like microsoft

  • blazinB

    Posted Feb 24, 2006 11:08 am PT

    I bet those pokemon rides make people have cancer and make them sick and stuff

  • blazinB

    Posted Feb 24, 2006 11:07 am PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • nestea_king

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 4:16 pm PT

    I dont like Pokemon, but hell even Id go to that. They damn well better have Pokemon themed food too (not that weird crap Brock makes, that apparently all the pokemon love). Nintendo is going to be making like billions a day (yen, so like a dollar here lol jks) from this alone

  • Breakfast_Clubber

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:40 am PT

    hmm... sounds good. anyone ever hear of a little place called LegoLand? a magical world with the sole purpose of retaining customers and moving merchandise (well, aside from any profit off admissions). Nintendo is just taking another stride in a direction we can't fully see from this side of the world. lighten up and slow down the flaming keys, kiddos.

  • KiLLer_ba

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 12:45 am PT

    One ticket to Pikachu Seizure the ride please, LoL

  • timinator18

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 1:07 pm PT

    cool! now kids can die on a pokemon rollercoaster.

  • animemog

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 11:11 am PT

    frankeyser:

    It's not a game, it's an actual theme park.

    CyphenX:

    Yeah, that creeped me out too.

  • animemog

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 11:08 am PT

    And US? Haha, that's a good one.

  • CyphenX

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 11:08 am PT

    um... excuse me? "Gotta ride them all"?

  • StillWingless

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 11:03 am PT

    i'm too old for this, but it sounds cute enough to walk through out of curiosity.

  • Tranceplant

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 10:56 am PT

    HAHA! Wow... you know.. I'd wouldn't be affraid to try one of these rides! I'd like to try.. pikachu feris wheel, loll! Can't wait to see some pics of that.

  • joeamis

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 9:13 am PT

    If there was a theme park for all different companies gaming icons, maybe they'd be less willing to put out lackluster sequels because of the need to keep their characters popular.

  • frankeyser

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 8:19 am PT

    i just want to see this game... i dont know if i want to play it... but i want to see it...

  • Seraphim_24

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 7:57 am PT

    And if that goes over well they'll probably do one state side... Can you imagine how hard parenting will become? June "I want to go to Lagoon (a Utah based Theme Park)" July "I want to go to Disney Land!" August "I want to go to Poekemon land!"
    Hey how about a Resident Evil theme park for us grown ups?

  • cyprus646

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 7:16 am PT

    Wow who here can say "CASH COW" ?

  • soulitier

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 6:46 am PT

    i saw this comin too i saw some pics too just go to japanies version of the nintendo website. look for any pokemon game since i couldn't read japanies i had some trial and error.

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 5:16 am PT

    interesting....... move over disney!!!!!!

  • Reetesh

    Posted Feb 22, 2006 3:24 am PT

    pokemon theme park I think it will be a blast

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 11:03 pm PT

    awesome

  • Gmex

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 11:02 pm PT

    they have the money to do anything they want...... and to think we all helped them by buying tons of pokemon cards >_> i spent a lot on those cards

  • jimmy813

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 10:43 pm PT

    Try saying the title of this article three times fast.

  • nazaric

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 9:33 pm PT

    wouldn't be suprised if the taliban blows it up

  • NintendoDSShugo

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 9:13 pm PT

    "Gotta ride them all."

    Wow, that is really....sexual. XD

  • joeamis

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 8:59 pm PT

    nuit_b I'm sure it's quite small. I think Nintendo should go into movies like Yamauchi wants to and that they should build their own huge Nintendo World independent of Disney. Model it just like Disney. They certainly have the mascots, and could develop even better rides. I did a search for this Nintendo World at disney and did not find it. Anyways, seems CLIFFY B OF EPIC WHO IS MAKING GEARS OF WAR THINKS THE SAME THING I DO http://cliffyb.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=5383299&publicUserId=5474264

  • 777rak

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 8:45 pm PT

    lol ha is their a place where you can get shocked by pichau?

  • Playa_69_

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 8:05 pm PT

    wow pokemon....lame

  • killa178

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 7:51 pm PT

    I hate pokemon.

  • PumaPride3k

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 7:19 pm PT

    Didn't that "spoof" happen ten years ago?

  • nuit_b

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 7:16 pm PT

    joeamis. there is a Nintendo world... its part of tokyo disneyland. you get to punch pikachu mascots

  • molivers7

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 7:14 pm PT

    Holy crap, society is now off the deep end.

  • nuit_b

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 7:13 pm PT

    wow.... pokemon is sooooo like huge and all, that it gained a spoof on some cartoon show called southpark... way to go GS! like thats a achievement, damn even the pope plays pokemon

  • Eribuster_basic

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 6:55 pm PT

    ive always wanted to go on a pikachu themed roller coaster!!!! (not sarcasm)

  • i_love_my_ds

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 6:26 pm PT

    ive always wanted to go on a pikachu themed roller coaster!!!! (*insert sarcasm here*)

  • maynard420

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 6:24 pm PT

    npmadman88

    I can't tell which of your comments are sarcasm or honesty, but some of those ideas sound very interesting. It can be intriguing to let our minds wander and see what they come up with.

  • joeamis

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 6:24 pm PT

    Why don't they just create a Nintendo World, model it to be exactly like Disney World. The public is now more known to Mario than Mickey Mouse anyhow.

  • Psycho_Teen

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 6:22 pm PT

    WOW npmadman88 how many cans of red bull did you drink before you read this

  • T_U_M_E_G

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 6:12 pm PT

    npmadman88....spend a little too much time pondering this?

  • npmadman88

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 6:00 pm PT

    Actually, that sounds like a cool idea. No doubt, it would make Nintendo lots of money, with all the kids who scream and fight their parents for the new pokemon games. Just imagine, that many kids, and probably more screamiong even harder, for a trip to the Pokemon Park! I think it's genious. I think a major success would be an entire Nintendo-themed Park, focusing on their major franchises. I think it could have the potential to be teh equivalent of Disney in the Video Game world.

    Just imagine a Metroid ride type thing, where you are given an arm canon and a vest to wear, and it has a trigger inside, and it's almost like Virtual Reality, and metroids jump out at you, and space pirates, and they can fire lasers at you and you have to shield behind something and shoot at and kill them, and it's a lot like Laser Tag. Hey, the part I described can be the First Person Adventure, and the MultiPlayer part can be basically a big melee of Laser Tag, with a lot of people, and the Metroid-like environment. Awesome!

    Or a ride of platform jumping, like going through a Mario level or something, or a Zelda type ride, where... you can hack and slash stuff, I guess. Or maybe.. I don't know, they don't all have to be putting you in the characters' shoes, but I do think being the characters would be really neat. Really enticing, I say. And of course, you have your various themed roller coasters and tilt-a-whirls, OH! And a 2-Person Cart Ride through Luigi's Mansion! And real Mario Kart-style Go-Karts (no weapons, though... unless they find a way to work it...)! And you could have 4 people be in a Mario-Party like ride, on a big game board, and playing various mini-games, maybe... Oh man, this actually sounds really good!

    And you could include pokemon stuff, too. Like, a ride with a bunch (15?) of people, through tall grass or a forest, where Wild Pokemon jump out at you, and there are buttons where every person sits, and they are things like Fire, Grass, Rock, etc, and everyone has to push the buttons, and based on how many of each are pressed (like a vote) that type of attack is used to do more damage, and you have to do possibly multiple attacks to make it faint. And maybe at the end, they could have a rare pokemon (like Mewtwo or Lugia) that would be a tough battle. And sometimes the pokemon can attack you, too. And a screen would be at every location to show you what attack you are using, and what they use. And what they use, there is a consequence. Like, if they use Tackle, then the big car everyone is in rumbles and shakes a bit. If they use Gust, then in the car are air jets that blast you harmlessly in the face, or if they use Water Gun, the same jets mist you with slight water, if they use Flamethrower, warm-hot air is blown at you, if they use Poison Sting, a stud in your chair raises and hits you in the butt (that happens at the Bug's Life thing at Disney World, it's harmless, it only surprises you), etc.

  • MiKaNoH

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:59 pm PT

    hehehe funny, if they put that on Brazil(what is very hard)i will go in it...

  • osxgp

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:52 pm PT

    Mickey mouse vs. Pikachu anyone? Don't tell Square Enix though!

  • Freaken_Feline

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:51 pm PT

    lol " gotta ride them all "

  • maxpowers156

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:50 pm PT

    Pokemon themed restaurent is next on the Big N's list of things to do. Sweet!!!

  • DarkBoBo06084

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:46 pm PT

    What will they come up with next? Seriously what else can top this.

  • Argama7

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:44 pm PT

    A portable park that is aimed to attract millions? Something isn't right here...

  • Benihana7

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:42 pm PT

    Strangly this intrigues me...

  • blackIceJoe

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:36 pm PT

    Sweet I wonder how it will do.I really all ways wanted to fly around in a Pokemon Rollorcoaster.

  • sushi_111

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:33 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • sushi_111

    Posted Feb 21, 2006 5:33 pm PT

    Sounds halrious, I would kill for pics.

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